Johnny Depp and wife Amber Heard can potentially lose their two Yorkshire terriers because of their inability to follow Australia’s animal import law.
The Pirates of the Caribbean actor brought his dogs, Boo and Pistol, into Australia without permits or a period in quarantine.
And for that Depp and Heard are being forced to choose by the Australian quarantine authorities to either put them down or fly them out of the country by Saturday.
To prevent spreading any serious diseases like rabies, Australia put strict restrictions on transporting pets. A pet owner who is bringing their pet to the country must apply for a permit and after the pet must spend at least 10 days in quarantine upon arrival to check for disease.
When Depp boarded the private plane of Agriculture Minister, Barnabay Joyce, he probably did not expect Joyce to report Depp for smuggling his Yorkshire terriers on the plane on April 21.
“There is a process if you want to bring animals: you get the permits, they go into quarantine and then you can have them,” Joyce reported to Australia’s ABC radio, “But if we start letting movie stars—even though they’ve been the Sexiest Man Alive twice—to come into our nation [and break the laws], then why don’t we just break the laws for everybody?”
Joyce does not believe stars should get away with breaking the laws and says, “Just because he’s Johnny Depp doesn’t make him exempt from Australian laws.”
On Joyce’s interview Thursday May 14 explains Depp’s carelessness for others around him:
“The way this works is if we are going to make an excuse for Johnny Depp because he’s got a private jet and brought in his dogs then I suppose you have to start making exemptions and excuses for everybody. The reason you can walk through a park in Brisbane and not have in the back of your mind, ‘What happens if a rabid dog comes out and bites me or bites my kid?’ is because we’ve kept that disease out. I’ll tell you how close it is: it’s in Bali, it’s just next door. So this is not fanciful stuff, and therefore we’re very diligent about what comes into our nation.”
Depp or his representative have not responded about the issue.
Joyce’s complain has caused the Agriculture Department to euthanize the dogs if they do not leave the country in the time span the couple was given.
Joyce jokes saying, “After that, I don’t expect to be invited to the opening of Pirates of the Caribbean.”
Image via MADISON MCGAW/BFANYC/SIPA USA
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